Cheap Flights to Beijing Capital Airport

A major international travel hub in the city once known as Peking, you can still see a shadow if this old name in the modern airports IATA code. Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) is an airport for modern history books in terms of traffic, size, and sheer amount of people and goods moved annually. It’s the busiest airport in Asia and the second busiest airport in the world. The new Terminal 3, which was built to handle the traffic generated by the 2008 Summer Olympics, is the second largest airport terminal building in the world and the sixth largest building in the world, overall.

Terminal One dates from 1980, and was the first of many major renovations that have changed this airport. Today it is mainly a domestic terminal for Hainan Airlines and its low cost or international subsidiaries.

Terminal Two is almost six times the size of Terminal One and boasts 20 gates complete with jetways. Domestic and international flights use this terminal, including most of the Skyteam affiliated airlines.

Terminal Three opened in stages between March and February in 2004, but wasn’t fully operational until 2008. This terminal is where you can find the Skyteam alliance airlines along with several other international airlines.

Airlines that fly to Beijing Capital Airport

A few major Canadian cities have direct flights to Beijing, and there are many others that only require one stopover on the route. Take your pick of airlines, as virtually all of them have a presence at PEK, and that includes a few Canadian ones that might surprise you.

Westjet and Chinese airline Hainan work together on many of these routes, with the regional carrier handling the domestic routes and the international airlines serving the ones outside the country. Hainan also flies directly from YYZ to PEK.

Air Canada and international subsidiary Air Canada Jazz team up to make sure that Canadians in Thunder Bay and Saskatoon can get to Beijing with only one stopover. If you live in Montreal, Toronto, or Vancouver, then you can fly direct.

Air China, the country’s flagship carrier, uses this airport as its hub and flies directly from Vancouver and Toronto to PEK, along with several other destinations.

Delta and United Airlines are representing the American team here at PEK. You can fly directly to Beijing from Chicago, Seattle, Detroit, and several other major cities. United Airlines also flies to Guam on a seasonal basis.

Airport Facilities

Naturally an airport with the size and scope of PEK would have a variety of different amenities to keep you comfortable while waiting for your connecting flight,airport shuttle, or ride home. Here’s just a short list of ways to keep busy.

The Global Kitchen. Visit the extensive food court in Terminal 3 to choose between 72 different vendors selling everything from fast food to formal meals. The selection includes baked goods, desserts, and ice cream.

Retail Areas. The duty-free and regular retail shops in PEK take up close to 3000 square feet of space. That’s in addition to the shops in the vast food court. Services here include banking, internet services, and much more.

Good Luck Tower. There’s a lot to admire in Terminal 3 when it comes to interior decor, like the adjustable triangular windows. One outstanding feature is the 300 foot monitoring tower, which is painted red for good luck.